Who can file unemployment benefits with NYS Department of Labor - confused about eligibility

You can file for unemployment benefits if you meet the basic requirements: you lost work through no fault of your own, you earned enough wages during your base period, and you're able and available for work. Part-time work definitely counts toward your wage history - NYS Department of Labor looks at all your covered employment, not just full-time jobs. Your gig work might count too depending on how it was classified. The key is having enough wage credits in your base period, which is usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters.

Generally speaking, if you worked and paid into unemployment insurance, you can file. This includes full-time, part-time, temporary workers, and even some independent contractors in certain situations. You need to have worked in covered employment and earned a minimum amount during your base period. The easiest way to check is just file your claim - NYS Department of Labor will determine your monetary eligibility automatically based on your work history.

dont listen to people telling you part time doesnt count thats completely wrong!! i filed when my hours got cut from 30 to 8 per week and got approved. the system looks at your total wages not whether you were full time or part time. your cousin doesnt know what theyre talking about

If you're having trouble reaching NYS Department of Labor to get specific answers about your situation, you might want to check out claimyr.com - they help people get through to unemployment agents when the phone lines are jammed. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. I used it when I couldn't get through to verify my eligibility and it saved me weeks of trying to call.

The unemployment system is such a nightmare to navigate especially for young people filing for the first time. They make it seem like you need a law degree just to understand if you qualify. I went through this same confusion when I was 20 and lost my restaurant job. Turns out I qualified even though I'd only been working for 6 months because I had worked the previous summer too.

To directly answer your question about who can file: employees who lose work involuntarily, people whose hours are significantly reduced, workers who quit for specific good cause reasons, and even some self-employed individuals under certain programs. The key factors are having sufficient wage history in covered employment and being unemployed through no fault of your own. Age doesn't matter - 19 is fine as long as you meet the work and wage requirements.